harpersfallsfandomcom-20200214-history
Victoria reassures Jacqueline
In this third episode of the new HF; Jacqueline is unsure about her place in the family, and Victoria makes sure she knows that she is family. Scene One: The Harper Mansion. Social Secretary Velda Smithfield hears her phone ring. VELDA: Harper mansion. MALE VOICE: Good morning, I wanted to confirm my appointment to meet with Michael Harper at 10:30 this morning. VELDA: I have you down on the schedule, Councilman. COUNCILMAN: That is very good. VELDA: May I ask your name? COUNCILMAN: Luke Erickson. VELDA: Very good, Councilman Erickson, I will see you at 10:30. COUNCILMAN: Which driveway should I take? VELDA: There are two. The one on the right goes to Harper Academy; the left one goes to the mansion. You take the left one, and buzz the intercom, it will go right to my office, and I will buzz you in. COUNCILMAN: Thank you, Ms. Smithfield. (Velda hangs up the phone) Scene Two: WBOS, an independent TV station in Boston. Michelle Harper is arguing with her sister, Erica, picking up from yesterday's ending. ERICA: Yes, I googled Natalya Ashton's name, and did a search on her! MICHELLE: Why did you do it, Erica? ERICA: I don't trust her! I really don't. How are we to know if that baby she is carrying is Michael's or not? MICHELLE: That is NOT the point, Erica. ERICA: It is to me! That tramp is interloping. She doesn't have the grace that Shelby had! MICHELLE: I told Jason this, and I am going to tell YOU this, Natalya makes Michael happy. Whether or not she gave him rohypnol to get him into bed or what, or even if that baby is his or not, is IMMATERIAL! You forget one major factor! ERICA (sneering): What is that, I would like to know. MICHELLE: Michael LOVES her! Doesn't that mean anything to you, or don't you even FEEL anything anymore! (Michelle glares at Erica) Scene Three: The Haller Guest house on the Harper Mansion grounds. Nicholas, along with Taylor, Jacqueline, Victoria and baby Nicky moved into one of the four guest homes on the mansion grounds. Allen, Sheila, Anyssa and Bryan live in another, as does Dylan, Audra and Alex. Jacqueline is busy writing in her journal in her new bedroom. Enter Victoria. VICTORIA: Hello, darling. What are you doing? JACQUELINE: Writing in my journal, and then also going to write Vera a letter later on. VICTORIA: That is great. We're going to Allen and Sheila's for dinner. JACQUELINE: Am I needed to go? VICTORIA: Yes, we're all going. JACQUELINE: I am worried. VICTORIA: About what? JACQUELINE: For so long, I was known as Jacqueline Cranston, and then my paternity was thrown up like a deck of cards. At first I thought it was Adam Mathison, and then I discover that it was Nicholas Haller and his wife, Catherine. I don't know, Aunt Victoria, I feel so confused. VICTORIA: I understand, Jacqueline. You had your world pretty much turned upside down, and then along comes the new baby, and more upheaval than you ever thought could happen. JACQUELINE: It's all so overwhelming. VICTORIA: I know what you mean. (Victoria looks at her great niece) Scene Four: A stylish bistro in Boston's fashionable Beacon Hill area. Rosemary Harper Wilson is perusing a menu as she sees two women coming up to join her. It's Jane Whittier and Liane Atkinson. ROSEMARY: Jane, Liane, thanks for coming to meet me here. LIANE: No problem, Rose, it's good for us to get away from the mansion. JANE: Good thinking for having us meet here in Beacon Hill. If we had been in the Back Bay, there would have been a chance that Stephanie would have seen us and would have really caused a scene. ROSEMARY: That is why I specifically thought of this bistro. Stephanie doesn't know a lot of the places here, and this one was kind of off the beaten path. LIANE: You chose a nice place. ROSEMARY: Thanks, Liane. JANE: How is the pregnancy? The new marriage, and how does it feel to be back home again? ROSEMARY (laughing): It's going wonderfully. The pregnancy is fine, I had an ultrasound done at Mass General; Mark is wonderful, he truly is the man I love; and being back home has been FABULOUS. LIANE: Did you miss Boston, when you lived in Smythewood? ROSEMARY: Yes, I did. No matter what, Boston will always be my home. Not that Smythewood wasn't tremendous, because it was; but this is my home, and Brockton is my turf. LIANE: Hear, hear! JANE: Well, we're glad you're here, because we need your help. ROSEMARY: I can help you out, with whatever I can do. LIANE: We need some more information, on why you and Stephanie don't get along. (Rosemary is quiet, but is mulling over a way to take down her number one nemesis) Scene Five: Harper Enterprises main office in Brockton. A crisp looking, efficient businesswoman is entering her office. Our first meeting with Sydney Armstrong. She is the CFO of Harper Industries, which she took over from Marie Sanborne, who had moved out of the Boston area. Sydney is an efficient woman, while tough as a businesswoman, is a good-natured and sensible woman. She is quite loyal to Michelle, her boss. She is speaking to a Stewart Lonsdale, the Queen's prosecutor, in London. SYDNEY: Yes, Mr. Lonsdale. I talked with Ms. Harper. She also talked with Lady Bradford. According to her, she let Mr. Percival-Bennett have it in the courts. Ms. Harper is preparing to have Mr. Percival-Bennett's employment terminated. No, she hasn't said whether she is aiming to have criminal charges filed against him. If that was the case, I am sure that Ms. Harper would contact Lady Bradford herself, or vice versa. More over, she would, I am sure, given their connections. Since the thefts occured in London, I don't think Harper Industries here in the states would have that kind of jurisdiction. But since, we are a worldwide corporation, our legal department is at your disposal. LONSDALE (over the phone): I just hope we can rebound from what Nigel Bennett did to us. SYDNEY: You don't worry about that. We will get this sorted out. LONSDALE: Where is Ms. Harper, anyway? SYDNEY: She is in Boston, talking with one of her sisters. She will be back in a couple of hours. LONSDALE: Very well, Ms. Armstrong. SYDNEY: Thank you. (Sydney hangs up the phone. Her cell rings, she picks it up, it's Michelle) MICHELLE: Sydney, I am sorry I am taking as much time as I am. SYDNEY: Don't worry about it, I know your family needs you. I talked with Mr. Lonsdale from London. He wanted to know about charges being filed against Nigel Bennett. MICHELLE: Yes, I do want Nigel charged. Something tells me his background wasn't checked on the London end. SYDNEY: I had checked it, Michelle. And his past has quite a LOT that concerns me. Especially with someone he had been with. MICHELLE: Who was he with? SYDNEY: I don't know if I should say. You have enough on your plate already. MICHELLE: Sydney, don't worry about that one. I don't think anything would faze me anymore. SYDNEY: Your son, Christopher Harper. (Michelle is stunned on the other end of the phone.) (Voice of Stephanie Beacham: "Harpers Falls: A New Beginning will continue in a moment, here on ONtv.") Scene Six: Harper Mansion. Councilman Luke Erickson, the city official that serves the area of Brockton that was once Harpers Falls, is in Michael's study meeting with him and Natalya. LUKE ERICKSON: I am very glad to be able to talk with one of the members of the namesake family of this area. MICHAEL: Glad to talk with you too. This is my wife, Natalya. NATALYA: Very nice to meet you. LUKE: Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Harper. MICHAEL: I heard that something is going around City Hall wanting to rescind the Merging of Brockton and Harpers Falls. LUKE: Not necessarily. The area would still be served by Brockton services, but we would return the name Harpers Falls to this part of Brockton, making it a borough, kind of what New York does. NATALYA: So, that would mean the town would regain its identity again? LUKE: Yes. It would still be considered Brockton, but Harpers Falls would regain its own identity again. For so many years it was an independent community, and then Brockton entered into that agreement. But with what I have proposed, and I am sure the mayor will have it signed, it will give Harpers Falls some sense of autonomy. MICHAEL: You will certainly have our support on this one. LUKE: I am glad you approve. (Luke grins at Natalya and Michael) Scene Seven: WBOS. The Sisters' argument is increasing. ERICA: I don't want someone like THAT being married into the family. MICHELLE: That doesn't mean ANYTHING! You damned well know it, Erica. ERICA: Who was that on the phone? MICHELLE: It was Sydney. Something going on at the office. ERICA: What does SHE want? MICHELLE: Don't worry about it. We're not through with this discussion, Erica. ERICA: I think we are, Michelle. And as usual, I am the one who wins! I want that Natalya Ashton out of our house immediately, and right now too! MICHELLE: Do you resent Michael's new wife that much? How can you be so vile? ERICA: I am protecting this family! MICHELLE: That is bull, Erica, and you know it! You don't care a thing about Michael. All you care about is your share of the family fortune. ERICA: All I hear about is Michael, Michael, Michael! MICHELLE: He is our brother! And lest you forget, he is my TWIN brother! And you know I will make sure I am in his corner! Don't you even CARE?! ERICA (in a dismissive tone): I think you had better leave! MICHELLE: I can't believe that you would even act like this! Don't worry, I AM leaving! But I am gonna give you fair warning! You even THINK for one second that you are going to harm Michael OR Natalya, and I will see to it that you will be COMPLETELY destroyed! Sister or NO sister, blood or NO blood, you cross Michael and Natalya in ANY way shape or form, and I will deal with you ruthlessly! Fix that in your mind and remember that for eternity! You mess with my twin brother, you mess with ME! ERICA: She is a gold-digging tramp! MICHELLE (unfazed by Erica's nasty remark): Remember what I said, sister dear. You try to destroy Michael's marriage, and I will destroy YOU! You may not give a damn about Michael's feelings, but I DO! (Michelle shoots Erica one last glare and walks out of the room) Scene Eight: The Beacon Hill bistro. ROSEMARY: What has ol' Stephanie been up to? LIANE: More of the same. ROSEMARY: Ah, being the social climber, eh? She still aims to break into the Harper circles, eh? JANE: I am afraid so, Rosemary. LIANE: She and I have been having more and more fights. She is throwing around non-existant weight. ROSEMARY: She always WAS very sloppy. JANE: That is why we're waiting her out. One of these days, she will slip and make one HUGE mistake. LIANE: Can we count on your help? ROSEMARY: By all means! I will certainly be there to help you out. I want to see Stephanie go down! LIANE: Thank you, Rosemary. JANE: I hope we can bring her down. ROSEMARY: I do too, Jane, but I have a feeling that she will be her own downfall. (The three enjoy a nice lunch together) Scene Nine: The Haller guest house. VICTORIA: I thought the same thing, when my brother, your uncle Robert married Allison. Then Allison lied to us so dreadfully about your mom's paternity. JACQUELINE: I didn't know that happened. What happened to Grandmother Allison? VICTORIA: She is back in Syracuse. According to Robert, she is remarried, and it was to someone that nobody approved of. Her mother and sister didn't approve of who he was. JACQUELINE: That is Great-grandmother Joan, and Aunt Monica, right? VICTORIA: That is right. JACQUELINE: Dad never spoke a lot about Grandmother Allison. Neither does Uncle Allen or Aunt Sheila. VICTORIA: After what Allison did to the family, and she did do some very serious damage, I don't think people want to talk about her. JACQUELINE: Then I won't either. But I still feel kind of awkward. VICTORIA: Why is that? JACQUELINE: I don't know all I know about the family. VICTORIA: You don't worry about that at all, honey. I want you to know something. You are going to be a great part of our family, Jacqueline. Never forget that. (Victoria hugs Jacqueline) Scene Ten: Harper Industries office. Sydney and Michelle are meeting. SYDNEY: I am sorry about springing that on you while you were confronting your sister, Erica. MICHELLE: It's not your fault, Syd. SYDNEY: The timing was horrid, though. MICHELLE: You were fine, Sydney. SYDNEY: I had to talk to you about Nigel. MICHELLE: So he HAD been with Chris. SYDNEY: From all angles, it seemed like it. MICHELLE: Why would he do that? I thought he and Bill had been happy. SYDNEY: Nigel must have broke them up somehow. MICHELLE: Nigel must have had something to do with some other tension. SYDNEY: What tension? MICHELLE: Between Dylan and Alex. Alex seemed to like Nigel; Audra didn't trust Nigel, and Dylan remained neutral. Maybe that neutrality could derail their relationship. SYDNEY: From what I can see, and from what I gleaned about Nigel's background, he is very duplicitous and extremely devious. He wasn't satisfied with trying to embezzle from his department, he wants to break up Dylan and Alex. MICHELLE: Oh my GOD! First he breaks up my son's relationship, now he wants to destroy my nephew's relationship. Nigel HAS to be stopped! I DO want to have charges pressed against that man! Nigel Percival-Bennett is GOING down! SYDNEY: I will call Mr. Lonsdale, and have him start the ball rolling for charges to be pressed. MICHELLE: Thank you, Sydney. Nigel Bennett will NOT get away with destroying my nephew's relationship. SYDNEY: There WAS something else too. MICHELLE: What else did he do? SYDNEY: There is a chance that Nigel was responsible for Chris being driven to suicide. (Michelle's eyes fill with tears, as Sydney takes her hand. Sydney then calls Lonsdale to have charges filed against Nigel Bennett. The scene fades) Voice of Cote de Pablo: "On the next Harpers Falls: A New Beginning..." ABBY (to Rosemary): Everything looks wonderful. The baby is growing very well. And she is VERY healthy too. LIANE (to Stephanie): Get ready to rumble, Stepmommie Dearest! You brought this on, not me! It's gonna be one HELL of a war! MICHELLE (to Audra): You were right to tell me your suspicions of Nigel, Audra. And now, we have enough ammunition to take him down, and for good too. Category:Episodes